Sunday Spelt Pide

This morning I had plans to meet with friends for a bike ride / run combo, but unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas.

When my alarm went off at 6.30am, it was bucketing down, so after a few phone-calls we decided to wait an hour then re-assess the situation. Sadly when 7.30am came around (and 8.30, and 9.30 and 10.30…you get the idea) it was still raining so we had to cancel our training plans.

No training = time for porridge.

And a morning spent reading in bed.

 

Hey - if I cant train due to inclement weather,  I might as well make the most of having a rest day!

And also make the most of having time to get creative in the kitchen – inspired by the Mystery Box…

Spelt!

Did you know? Spelt is an ancient grain related to common bread wheat. Although it fell from favour in the 19th century, it has recently made resurgence owing to its value as a food source and its nutritional qualities.

Unlike wheat, where vital nutritional nutritional bran and germ are usually removed during milling, the vital substances of spelt are found in the inner kernel of the grain. Also, as the genetic makeup of spelt is different to wheat, it is a grain that many people who are sensitive or allergic to wheat can use. While spelt does contain gluten, it contains larger quantities of available protein which are soluble and, therefore, can be easily assimilated by the body with minimum of digestive work.

When I drew out “olives” from the Mystery Box, closely followed by spelt, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. 

See Mr BBB and I used to frequent a favourite Turkish restaurant, where each time we would order, without fail, Turkish Pizza  (usually sucuklu / salami) and a side of hummus. However, unfortunately due to the presence of wheat flour in the pizzas on offer, my Turkish pizza cravings have remained unsatisfied for quite some time.

That was, until tonight. When I decided to have a Sunday night food experiment of sorts. The challenge?? To make a Turkish pide using spelt flour.

I made a dough using spelt flour, rice and tapioca flour, yeast, milk, salt, sugar and egg.

Then covered it and left it in a warm spot to prove for 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile – I prepared the toppings.

(From top left: mushrooms, capsicum, onion, olive tapenade, mint, parsley and tomato).

I also sautéed a section of this sucuk – Turkish sausage.

 

When the dough had doubled in size, I divided the dough into two, and rolled each piece out into a thin rectangle.

I topped one pide with olive tapenade, mushrooms, tomato, feta, parsley and a sprinkle of mozzarella and sesame seeds.

With the edges folded over to form a ‘boat’.

The other pide I topped with tomato paste,  onion, capsicum, sucuk (Turkish salami), mint, parsley, tomato and mozzarella cheese – as requested by Mr BBB.

Then it was into the oven for 25 - 30 minutes at 200C.

I was quite nervous waiting to see if these pides would turn out. When the timer went off after 20 minutes, I anxiously opened the oven door, and was relieved to see well risen and golden brown pides.

The edges were crispy, yet the filling was soft and dough-like – just as a good pide should be.

Served with a slice of lemon and a dollop of hummus…

I am calling this a “Sunday night food experiment win”.

My local Turkish restaurant better watch out – it seems there is a new pide making kid on the block ;)

 

Spelt pide dough (makes 2 large pides)

(Adapted from here)

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour + 1/2 tapioca flour (or you could use a GF bread flour)
• 1tbs active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg (+ 1 extra)
• 3 tbs vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Place the warm milk in a medium sized bowl, and add the yeast. Once dissolved, add the egg, sugar, salt and oil.
3. Combine well then add to the flours in a large bowl.
4. Knead until the dough is smooth and springy.
5. Lightly oil the dough, then place in a large bowl. Cover with a damp cloth, then a tea towel.
6. Rest the dough for 1 – 2 hours, in a warm place, until it has doubled in size.
7. ‘Punch’ the dough to deflate, rest for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a floured surface. Knead for a minute until smooth, then divide into two dough balls. Place each ball on a large rectangle of baking paper.
8. Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball out until it resembles a thin oval shape. Transfer to a baking tray.
9. Top with your favourite toppings, then fold in the sides of the pide – pinching so that it resembles a ‘boat shape’.
10. Make an egg wash with the remaining egg, and brush the sides of the pide. Slowly pour the remaining egg over the topping  of each pide evenly.
11. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.
12. Cut into slices and serve.

What about you? Do you like Turkish pizza / pide? What is your favourite topping?

Happy Baking :)